We all have known and been the fool. Someone who went ahead with foolish ideas despite the red flags. Yet, wisdom still waits and cries out for us.
Proverbs 1:20-33
Wisdom cries out in the street;
in the squares she raises her voice.
At the busiest corner she cries out;
at the entrance of the city gates she speaks:
“How long, O simple ones, will you love being simple?
How long will scoffers delight in their scoffing
and fools hate knowledge?
Give heed to my reproof;
I will pour out my thoughts to you;
I will make my words known to you.
Because I have called and you refused,
have stretched out my hand and no one heeded,
and because you have ignored all my counsel
and would have none of my reproof,
I also will laugh at your calamity;
I will mock when panic strikes you,
when panic strikes you like a storm,
and your calamity comes like a whirlwind,
when distress and anguish come upon you.
Then they will call upon me, but I will not answer;
they will seek me diligently, but will not find me.
Because they hated knowledge
and did not choose the fear of the Lord,
would have none of my counsel,
and despised all my reproof,
therefore they shall eat the fruit of their way
and be sated with their own devices.
For waywardness kills the simple,
and the complacency of fools destroys them;
but those who listen to me will be secure
and will live at ease, without dread of disaster.”
If Wisdom cries out to us, why is it so hard for us to hear her? More than once I have been a fool who wouldn’t listen to good advice from those who love me. And I have been Wisdom’s voice crying out to deaf ears.
Fools Scoff at Knowledge
* They see red flags yet still won’t heed them.
* They are working their recovery program but they are considering taking a job bar tending.
* After three months, they have lost yet another job.
* They are looking for someone to cover for them at work again
* They traded their college education for frat parties and day drinking
* They had the athleticism but never wanted to put in the work.
* They trust their good looks rather than earning respect.
The list goes on. We have all seen that person and we have all been that person that thought that we knew better. Not listening to those who could see, who knew the outcome we were heading for. We scoffed at their words. We did not know the fear of the Lord.
If we are fortunate enough to learn from our foolishness and start making better decisions, it then kills us when we see others as blind as we once were. And still are in other areas of our lives. But perhaps the best we can hope for is that we are wise enough to know that we are still foolish.
Wisdom Waits
I love the picture of a wisdom as a woman. We tend to think of women as emotional. Because foolishness is prompted by our emotions rather than logic, of course wisdom would be a woman. Who better understands the tug of emotions than those who have been more courageous in openly facing rather than running from emotions. Most of us guys are not as emotionally intelligent as women.
I also love that she is not hiding, she is in plain sight, not hard to find, right there for all to see. For she puts herself on the same playing field with fools. When we are foolish it is obvious to everyone but ourselves. Wisdom never abandons us.
Ship Of Fools
We have all been a fool at one time or another. And we have all had someone in our lives that we tried to talk to about a bad decision that we could see they were about to make and they would have none of what we had to say. All we could do is stand back and watch them self destruct. And when they find themselves in the way that you warned them about, they will not seek you out. They are usually too embarrassed and they don’t want to hear “I told you sos”. Wisdom tells us it is fine to be light hearted about it and laugh because we have been that fool ourselves. We remember that we dug our way out of the mess we made and they will too.
Those who are in the AA program do not go into bars and try to get people to come to their meetings. These words are not a warning for us to force those around us who we think are fools to listen to us. Wisdom crises out for the foolish to come to her. While she is not hiding, she also doesn’t chase anyone down. She is always there with open arms whenever we are ready.
Wisdom cries out just as loud today as ever before. Perhaps even louder. Those who are wise are often conservative in their actions and words. Maybe because wisdom is in part, being able to predict the future. It is seeing the present through the lens of the past and recognizing patterns that lead to our desired outcomes. Foolishness ignores the facts and safety because its boring and likes to charge ahead boldly.
Checking My Wisdometer
If we want to gauge how we are doing at wisdom and foolishness. There are several areas that I think we can look to.
Finances: How am I doing with debt? Do I have a buy now pay later mentality? Do I see credit cards as a way of getting stuff? How’s my savings account? Do I have a savings account? Am I generous towards others? Do I use my money just for me? The people I know that I see being wise with money seem to have the mentality of not going into debt. They pay off their credit cards every month. A portion of their pay goes directly into savings and investments. They are generous towards others in need and they contribute regularly to help others. Those who seem to be unwise in their finances have credit card debt and live paycheck to paycheck. They are always in need and don’t have money to help others, yet they always have money for fast food, alcohol and smokes.
Relationships:
